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Surface Mount Modular Panel
The surface mount modular panel attaches to the exterior faces of Primary and Secondary frame members and is secured by through-panel bolts to the outer surface slots and/or by angle strip fasteners on the back secured to the inside-edge slots of the adjacent framing. 100mm wide Secondary studs may be used to provide parallel vertical attachment slots for through-bolt attached panels. A special angle clip strip may also be used, which hooks onto one flange of the the inner profile slot and is clamped in place as the flush panel bolts or mounting screws are tightened. Flanged cover strips, held in place by the panels, are employed to cover corners and interstitial spaces along Primary frame members. Optional ‘Z’ shaped cover strips provide a rain barrier between storeys and may also be integral to some panel designs. Modular surface mount panels can employ independent framing and a large variety of materials and are fabricated as a unit. Surface mount panels are normally fashioned as a unit up to 25mm thick, though where perimeter decking is not used panels can be much thicker to accommodate integral insulation or other features. Standard width is 1050mm. Height is based on roof type, use of perimeter deck, and choice of Primary frame but are generally designed to cover a fuller storey height. For structures with both frame-integral roof overhang (where the roof is integral to the top of the Primary frame -usually flat roof designs) and a perimeter deck the panel height is 2400mm. For structures using either integral roof but no deck or perimeter deck and a separate roof structure (where the roof members sit on top of the Primary frame -usually for pitched roofs or use of self-supporting roof plank systems) the panel height is 2400mm + Primary frame thickness. For structures using neither deck nor integral roofing panel height is 2400mm + 2 X Primary frame thickness. Surface mount panels with concealed mounting are attached using four 50mm holed angle strips (or continuous folded angle strip) at 1000mm X 2400mm with elongated holes centered 25mm from angle edge. In some cases, panel designs may integrate this angle strip with the panel unit. The special clip-strips mentioned above may also be used instead of simple angles to reduce the number of bolts. This form of mounting is usually employed with thicker composite panel materials accommodating concealed attachment screws. Standard T-nuts and hex bolts secure the panel to the inside edge slots. These angles are inset to provide a 25mm overlap side to side with 20mm foam tape along angle corner. No overhang is used for 2400mm high panels and foam tape is placed on panel edge. For other panels one or both top and bottom edges may have an overlap equal to the Primary frame thickness and will also use 20mm foam tape at the angle corner. Mounting angles may be pre-installed or added before panel attachment. Another fastener-less mounting scheme employs a locking batten system for specialized 20mm wide ‘U’ channel mounting strips. These strips are made of a flexible alloy and fashioned with a protruding 10mm plate along one side of the ‘U’ shape. Panels pop into place when pushed into the frame opening as the plate engages the profile slot and then four wooden wedge battens are placed in the channels using a rubber mallet to compress against the framing and lock the channels into place. A long top batten is placed first, then the sides, and the base with additional horizontal battens wedged in dovetail grooves in the side battens. Notches on the ends of the ‘U’ channels provide easy batten removal. This system provides very secure and continuous edge attachment to the frame as well as sealing compression for foam gaskets without any T-nuts. A panel hanging assist bracket may also be employed along the top edge of panels to assist single-person attachment. This consists of one or more alloy ‘Z’ or ‘U’ shaped brackets of 25mm width placed along the top angle edge -in line with the mounting angle strips- mounted to engage the upper inside profile slot of the Primary frame. This allows the panel to be seated and stand in place on its own while a worker moves to its opposite side to secure it. Typical surface mount panel materials include; •Fiber-Cement panel •Corrugated Alloy and Plastic panel •Commercial ‘hanging wall’ system products including Alucabond and other alloy sandwich panels, composite stone, stone veneer. •Extruded or Foamed Clay panel •Extruded or Foamed Light Cement panel •Framed Clay/Straw on Bamboo Lattice composite panel •Light Basalt panel •Framed Wood/Composite panel needed for angle-clip profile to see if off-the-shelf forms are available.